Director, Commercial Strategy and Operations, Innovation Lead

About the role

The Director, Commercial Strategy & Operations - Innovation Lead for the Advanced Hydration division at The Coca-Cola Company is responsible for the end-to-end commercial enablement of innovation across the Sports portfolio. This role involves translating innovation ideas into executable commercial plans, leading business case development, managing early-stage projects, aligning cross-functionally, and ensuring launches are performance-tracked and system-ready.

Responsibilities

• Commercial Innovation Management:
  • Lead commercial innovation through the Stages & Gates project management process including Business case development in partnership with Finance, Brand, and Supply Chain
  • Managing projects through Gate 2 until assignment of a dedicated Project Manager
  • Participating in all project calls once a PM is assigned to ensure commercial continuity
  • Coordinating with Supply Chain on feasibility as ideas are developed
  • Partner with the CSO Base Lead to ensure innovation concepts are aligned with the overall Advanced Hydration commercial strategy
  • Own performance tracking for all Sports innovation through the first 13 weeks post-launch, including bottler attainment, depletions tracking, syndicated data & consumption trends
  • Identify early risks and opportunities, escalating insights and recommended actions to leadership
• Operating Plan & System Enablement:
  • Develop the Innovation Operating Plan through cross-functional alignment
  • Deploy innovation materials across teams to ensure integration into broader customer and bottler plans
  • Steward commercial innovation strategy to the franchise teams, including follow-ups, materials, and information requests as needed
• Cross-Functional & System Leadership:
  • Represent CSO as the innovation subject matter expert for BODYARMOR & Powerade across North America routines, including System Readiness and supply chain forums
  • Lead NAOU calibration for BODYARMOR & Powerade related to PSA and final forecasting, ensuring volume alignment across internal supply plans and the bottling network
  • Manage the full INCAST process for all Sports innovation, including customer team alignment and follow-ups
  • Coordinate and manage the innovation sampling process across cross-functional stakeholders
  • Partner with Brand teams to monitor competitive innovation and category dynamics, assessing implications for the Sports business
  • Leverage AI tools and knowledge of internal ways of working to create efficiencies while optimizing process workflow
• Enterprise Mindset:
  • Balance brand-level needs with system-wide priorities, ensuring alignment across North America, channels, and the bottler system
• Strong Operating Rhythm:
  • Establish and steward clear planning cycles, governance forums, and communication cadences that enable fast, informed decisions
• Clarity Through Simplicity:
  • Translate complex data, strategies, and trade-offs into clear points of view and executive-ready narratives
• Modern Enablement:
  • Actively leverage AI tools, analytics platforms, and internal ways of working to reduce friction, eliminate rework, and improve speed to impact
• Collaborative Influence:
  • Lead through influence rather than authority, building alignment across diverse stakeholders with competing priorities
• Pushes for Progress:
  • Move work forward in imperfect environments by driving decisions, structuring trade-offs, and maintaining momentum

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or other graduate degree preferred
• 7+ years of experience in strategic leadership within consumer goods management, finance, or commercial strategy required
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence across all organizational levels
• Advanced analytical capability, including development of forecast models and performance dashboards
• Deep experience working with syndicated data (Nielsen, IRI, Circana, Numerator)
• Exceptional storytelling and PowerPoint skills; experience presenting complex ideas to senior leaders
• Proven success operating in fast-paced, evolving, matrixed organizations

What We Can Do For You

• Iconic Brand: Work on the most recognized brand in the world and be part of developing the brands next chapter.
• Exposure to World Class Leaders: Availability to global marketing leaders that will expand your network and exposure you to emerging digital platforms and marketing insights.
• Creative Team Culture: Be inspired by the best brand leaders and agencies in the world, which creates a creative culture that supports taking risks and innovation.

Our Purpose And Growth Culture

We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.